SAND ROCK – Sand Rock guards Justin Mackey and Brannon Burt were itching to get on the court Friday for their Northeast Sub-Regional game against North Sand Mountain.

Their emotions were running high after the Wildcats defeated Geraldine on the road to claim the Class 2A, Area 12 title on Monday, earning the right to host one final game on their home court.

They were also keyed up to make a little history. No Sand Rock boys basketball team had made the regional tournament since 1994.

That is, until now.

Behind Mackey’s 24 points and four assists and Burt’s 18 points, six boards and five assists, Sand Rock was able to defeat the Bison 75-63.

Sand Rock (21-9) faces Ohatchee (13-15) in the Northeast Regionals at Jacksonville State University on Monday at 4:30 p.m. North Sand Mountain’s season ends at 14-13.

"We all wanted it really bad," Burt said. "It means a lot since there hasn’t been a boys team here to do this in a long time. It’s special. We’re really pumped up about it."

The Wildcats had to fight to earn their regional berth. Sand Rock led almost the entire game, but North Sand Mountain kept things within striking distance. Whenever the Wildcats would make a big shot, the Bison seemed to answer.

"They just kind of stuck around," Sand Rock coach Brian Mackey said. "Defensively, we weren’t playing good, and they were driving. In the second half, we played team defense and hit the boards hard. We stepped up. They (North Sand Mountain) got hot, but our team defense didn’t give them many second shots. They would cut it (the lead) down, but we would hold our own."

Chase Wright netted 17 points to lead the Bison. Kennedy Marion added 13 points and Casey Smith had 12 points. Nick Baker finished with 11 points, all in the first half.

Justin Mackey had 22 points at the break, including five 3-pointers. He was anxious to pull the trigger in the second half, but knew Sand Rock would be better served if it would "run some time off the clock and get some good shots off."

"We had to fight a little bit harder every time they scored," he said. "We had to come back down, react, keep our composure and score."

Sand Rock led by 17-14 at the end of the first quarter and held a 38-33 advantage at the break. The Wildcats upped their advnatage to eight at 56-48 heading into the fourth quarter.

Sand Rock’s lead swelled to 13 points at 65-52 after seventh-grader Riley Norris connected on a drive to the basket in which he was fouled. Norris made the ensuing free throw for the 13-point spread.

North Sand Mountain cut the Wildcats’ lead back down to eight points at 65-57 after a Smith 3-pointer with 3:05 remaining in the game. However, the Bison couldn’t pull any closer as Sand Rock went on a 10-6 run to finish the game.

Justin Kyser finished with 12 points and five rebounds for the Wildcats. Norris added 11 points and six boards and Matt Graham ended with six points and eight rebounds.